Hepatitis A

Hepatitis A virus causes inflammation of the liver and is easily spread from person to person, through food and water. You can only get hepatitis A once; after that your body builds up a defense against the virus.

The hepatitis A virus is found in the stool of an infected person. It is spread when a person eats food or drinks water that has come in contact with infected stool; this can happen when a person with hepatitis A doesn’t wash their hands well after using the bathroom and then prepares food. It can also happen when a food item is contaminated by raw sewage.

What are the symptoms?

After you have been exposed to the virus, it can take 2 to 7 weeks before you see any signs of it. Symptoms usually last for 2 months but may last longer.

Symptoms:

• Feeling very tired
• Nausea
• Weight loss
• Fever
• Pain on the right side of the belly, and sore muscles
• Yellowish skin, dark urine, and clay-colored stools

Treatment:

Hepatitis A usually goes away within a few months on its own, in most cases.

• Drink plenty of water
• Slow down your lifestyle by cutting back on daily activities until all of your energy returns
• Update your doctor so they can keep track of your medications and and your symptoms

Prevention:

• Get vaccinated
• Practice good hygiene habits
• Don’t eat raw or under cooked shellfish
• Don’t eat or drink anything that you think may have been prepared in unclean conditions. This includes  raw foods, such as unpeeled fruits or vegetables, ice cubes and drink bottled water.

If you plan to travel to a part of the world where sanitation is poor or where hepatitis A is a known problem ask your doctor, pharmacist or healthcare practitioner about getting the hepatitis A vaccine, or a combination hepatitis A and B vaccine.